Sermons4Kids

[Soldier4Christ]

Mother surveyed the living room with dismay. Jason's toy cars were parked under the couch. A toy airplane had landed on the television, and toy soldiers surrounded the lamp and held it under siege; a Lego collection was on the bookcase; Mother's handmade afghan lay in a heap on the floor; popcorn dishes and soda glasses decorated the end table.

 

Mother sighed. Then she grinned; she had an idea. She scooped up some army men, cars, and Lego pieces. As she lifted the aquarium lid, her apology to the fish went unnoticed. A guppy swished to one side, and a bright, colorful fish darted to the other as the handful of toys sank to the bottom.

 

An explosion erupted when Jason went to feed his fish after school. "What's all this junk doing in my fish tank?" he yelled. "I just cleaned it Saturday afternoon!" He stormed into the kitchen where Mother was fixing supper. After dumping the dripping toys on the table, he put his hands on his hips. "What's going on?" he demanded. "If it's a joke, I don't think it's funny."

 

"It's not a joke, Jason," said Mother calmly. "Isn't a tankful of toys mixed with fish what you want?"

 

"What I want? Of course not!" exclaimed Jason.

 

Pointing to Jason's Bible, Mother said, "Well, when you were studying your verse for Sunday school last night, you said you wished people would live the way the verse said they should. Recite the verse for me, please."

 

Jason hesitated a moment, then he slowly quoted Matthew 7:12. "In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you."

 

"I spent Saturday cleaning the living room while you cleaned your aquarium," said Mother. "Then last night you left your things all over the living room. If you were treating me like you want to be treated, it must mean that you would like me to clutter up your aquarium."

 

Jason felt foolish. He knew he'd been pretty vocal about people not living up to the verse. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'll try to do better."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you expect as much of yourself as you expect of other people? Are you careful and considerate of your family and friends? Think about it. Take a good look at yourself. Then follow God's advice about how you should treat others.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Matthew 7:12)
All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Sure, I'm a Christian," Pete told Mr. Nelson, his neighbor. The two of them were putting out fresh water and food for Spot and Ginger. The dogs belonged to another neighbor, Mrs. Burns. Pete and Mr. Nelson were caring for her dogs while she was in the hospital. "I've been a Christian all my life, I guess," continued Pete. "I go to church all the time."

 

"I know you do," said Mr. Nelson, "and that's very good." He turned off the water hose and sat down on the ground beside the dogs as Pete started for the gate.

 

Pete turned back toward Mr. Nelson. "What are you doing?" he asked. "We're finished here, aren't we?"

 

"Yes, but I'm thinking of trying an experiment," said Mr. Nelson. "Maybe I'll stay here with the dogs tonight. If I sit in the dog pen long enough, I'll become a dog just like Spot and Ginger, won't I?"

 

Pete laughed. "What's the joke?" he asked. "Who'd want to be a dog? Besides, sitting in the dog pen won't make you a dog no matter how long you stay there."

 

"That's true, and I do know that," said Mr. Nelson as he got to his feet. "I also know that sitting in the church building won't make you a Christian."

 

"But I . . . ah . . . well, my parents are Christians," said Pete weakly.

 

"Livingwith Christians doesn't make you a Christian, just like living with dogs doesn't make you a dog," repeated Mr. Nelson.

 

"Oh!" exclaimed Pete. He was a bit startled. "I . . . ah . . . maybe not." He frowned as he added, "Just what does make you a Christian then?"

 

Happily, Mr. Nelson told him.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you think that attending church is all it takes to be a Christian? Or that having Christian parents means you are a Christian? That's not what the Bible says. It says you must believe on Jesus. Do that today.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Acts 16:31)
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.

[Soldier4Christ]

"What are you doing with the telephone directory, Mandy?" asked Mother.

 

Jeff, who was helping with the dishes, took a plate and wiped it. "She must be looking up the name of somebody to call," he said. He smiled as he added, "Of course, that's kinda hard when you can't read yet." Mandy scowled at her brother. "Who do you want to call?" Jeff asked her. "Not a boyfriend, I hope. Five years old is pretty young to be calling boyfriends."

 

Mandy looked up. "I'm not calling anyone," she said. "I want to find an address . . . but I don't know how."

 

"I thought you had our address memorized," said Mother.

 

"Yeah, Mandy," agreed Jeff. "It's 445 Alice Aven . . ."

 

"I know our address!" interrupted Mandy indignantly. "I want to find God's address." Mandy turned a page in the phone book.

 

Jeff exploded with laughter. "Mandy, you're goofier than I thought," he said. "God doesn't have an address! You're wasting your time looking in that book."

 

"Now, I wouldn't be too sure about that, Jeff," said Dad, who had been listening. He pulled out a chair and sat down next to Mandy. "Would you like me to help you?"he asked. Mandy slid the phone book toward her father. "Well, let's see now," said Dad. He thumbed through the pages. "It should be in several different places."He ran his finger down the page slowly, then stopped. "Yep," he said. "Just as I thought. It's here, all right!"

 

"See!" exclaimed Mandy, giving Jeff a triumphant look.

 

"This I've got to see," said Jeff. He walked to the table and peered over his father's shoulder. "Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "That's our address!"

 

Dad sat back and smiled. "Yes, that's our address, but God lives in our lives and in our home. That makes it His address, too." Dad closed the phone book. "Hopefully, anyone who enters our house will know right away that God lives here."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Does God live at the same address as you do? Does He live in every part of your home -- even in your room? If you've accepted Jesus, He should be in each part of your life -- at play, at school, and at home.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Joshua 24:15)
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

[Soldier4Christ]

"I'm missing everything because I've got the chicken pox," wailed Tara.
"First I couldn't sing in the concert. Then I missed Bobbie's party, and now I
can't go on the class field trip to the glass company!" Tara wiped a tear from
her eye.


 

"That is too bad," sympathized Mom. "Maybe you'll get to go another time."

 

"But I've been looking forward to the trip ever since we studied glassblowing in school," said Tara with a sigh. "A lot of places use modern machines to shape the glass, but some of the workers at this company still blow glass and shape it themselves."

 

"It does sound interesting," agreed Mom. "What did you learn in school about glassblowing?"

 

"The glass has to be really, really hot to put it in what they call a 'workable state,'" said Tara. "Then a person can blow the glass and use tools to make different shapes. If it doesn't look right yet, the glassblower can reheat it to soften it again, and then he can blow it and shape it some more."

 

"Sounds a little like what God does in our lives," murmured Mother thoughtfully. "Sometimes He needs to return us to a workable state so He can form us into just the right shape, too."

 

"He does?" asked Tara. "How does He do that?"

 

"Oh, He uses various ways," replied Mom. "He might use sickness." She smiled at Tara and added, "Maybe God is giving you this time from your busy life for a quiet spell -- a time to reshape you and to remind you that He wants to have first place in your life."

 

Tara was quiet, remembering complaints she had voiced recently -- complaints about Sunday activities taking too much of her time. She had also claimed to be too busy to memorize verses for Bible Club. Well, I have time now,  she thought.  I'll spend some of it learning verses.




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are some things in your life frustrating and definitely not what you had planned? God may want to use those things to do some reshaping of your life. Ask Him to help you grow spiritually as you accept them, realizing that He allows them for your good.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Romans 8:28)
All things work together for good to them that love God.

[Soldier4Christ]

"I just can't believe Carrie would say some of the things she said," Angie told her mother one afternoon. "She yelled at everyone in the group -- Luis, Gina, and even me, and I'm her best friend."

 

"I'm sorry to hear that, honey," replied Mother. She shook her head. "You know," she added, "I feel sorry for Carrie. She needs to learn to control her temper. I know it's given her lots of problems."

 

"Yeah," agreed Angie. "When Carrie gets mad, it makes such a mess of things. Luis got mad, too, and Gina cried. They both said they didn't ever want to play with Carrie again!"

 

The next morning, Mother was stirring oatmeal in a pot on the stove when Angie came into the kitchen. Mother stopped stirring to pour some juice for Angie. A moment later, the oatmeal boiled over. "Oh, no!" gasped Mother. She grabbed the pan and lifted it to another burner, but that only spread the gooey mess that was coming from the erupting pot.

 

"What a mess!" exclaimed Angie. She got out a sponge. "Here -- I'll help you clean it up," she offered.

 

Mother smiled. "Thanks," she said. "I'll be glad to have some help." She wiped the bottom of the pot. "You know," she added, "the Bible often pictures anger as hot or burning. Carrie's anger boiled and spilled all over her friends yesterday, just like my oatmeal boiled all over my stove."

 

Angie nodded. "She got herself into a sticky mess," she said, "and it will probably be harder to clean up her mess than yours." Hearing the phone ring, she went to answer it. Soon she came bounding back. "That was Carrie," Angie reported excitedly. "Can I go over there right after breakfast? She feels bad about yesterday and wants to go make up with Gina and Luis. She thinks it will help if I go with her. Okay?"

 

"Yes, of course," agreed Mother. "I'm so glad to hear that Carrie wants to make things right. I'll be praying that the others will be willing to give her another chance to be their friend."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you allow your temper to flare up and "burn" others? Some people think it's their right to show anger, but the Bible says it's a foolish thing to do.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Psalm 37:
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath.

[Soldier4Christ]

It had not been a good week! First, Jenny's friend moved away. Then her dog died. To top it off, on Saturday Jenny discovered that her favorite shirt had accidentally been bleached in the washer. By the time Mom returned from her afternoon shopping trip, Jenny was feeling absolutely terrible. Crying, she told Mom all about her troubles.

 

Mom listened thoughtfully. "Things certainly seem to have taken a turn for the worse, haven't they," said Mom as she put a big square package on the table. Jenny nodded and watched as Mom took a pair of scissors from a drawer and began to carefully cut a small hole in the center of the wrapping.

 

"What are you doing?" asked Jenny as Mom finished cutting and returned the scissors to the drawer.

 

"I bought a picture to hang on the living room wall," said Mom. She smiled and held the package up for Jenny to see. "What do you think of it?"

 

Jenny frowned. "Unwrap it so I can see it," she said.

 

"I cut that hole in the wrapping so you can look at the picture," answered Mom. "You can see it through this hole, can't you?"

 

Jenny shook her head. She was puzzled. "Are you kidding?" she asked. "That little hole is much too small for me to see what the picture looks like!"

 

"You're right about that," said Mom. "What I really want you to see is that life is like this picture."

 

"In what way?" asked Jenny.

 

"All we can see of the big picture of our lives is what's happening to us right now," explained Mom. "It's as though we're looking at it through a small 'hole' in the wrapping.But God can see the whole picture. He knows it takes all the experiences He allows us to have to make a beautiful picture of our lives. We just have to trust Him." Mom smiled at Jenny. "Now go ahead and unwrap the picture," she added. "You'll see that it really is beautiful."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you troubled by things that have happened in your life? Trust your days to God. He knows how they fit into the "big picture." When He "unwraps the package," things will look differentp>


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Proverbs 3:5)
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

[Soldier4Christ]

Wendy and Kate had been friends for a long time. They lived on the same
street and went to the same school. Now Wendy's family was moving away. On their
last day together, the girls played at Kate's house while Wendy's parents
packed."I can't play," said Kate after a little while. "I keep thinking about
tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Who will I play with then?"


 

"Oh, I wish I didn't have to go," moaned Wendy.

 

Just then Kate's mother called them in for their last lunch together -- the last juice, the last carrot sticks, the last sandwiches. The girls were thinking sadly about their coming separation.

 

"I know what we can do," said Kate thoughtfully as she picked up her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "We can make a deal. We eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches a lot, right? So whenever we do, we can think of each other and remember the things we did together -- and remember that we're friends."

 

"Yeah!" agreed Wendy enthusiastically. "Good idea!">

 

Kate's mother smiled at the girls. "That reminds me of the communion service at church," she said. "You've heard Pastor Main refer to the 'Lord's Supper,' haven't you? That was the Passover Supper Jesus ate with His disciples just before He was crucified."

 

"I remember," said Wendy, "and Jesus said the bread and wine were symbols of His body and blood."

 

"Yeah," agreed Kate, "and He said that when His disciples got together and ate and drank those things, they should think about Him and what He did and remember that He would come back again."

 

"Right," said Mother. "We're remembering Jesus in that way when we have a communion service at church."

 

Kate nodded. "And now, whenever I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I'll remember you, Wendy, and when you have one, you'll remember me," she said. "Is it a deal?"

 

Wendy smiled and got up to hug her friend. "It's a deal!" she said. "I won't forget, and I'll think of you at other times, too."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Have you thought about the meaning of the communion service? Use that quiet time to remember that Jesus loves you and died for you. He's someone you never want to forget.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Luke 22:19)
This is My body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of Me (Jesus).

[Soldier4Christ]

"And this giant oak tree is the landmark for which Oak Park is named," said the tour guide. Jon listened attentively. He loved history and learning things like this.

 

Back home, he told his mother about the tour. "That big oak tree survived the Civil War, a flood, and six fires," he told her. "It kept on growing, even though the odds were a hundred to one against it."

 

"That's interesting," said Mother. After some thought, she added, "You know, you're like that tree."

 

Jon was surprised. "I am?" he asked. "I didn't survive a war or fire or anything."

 

Mother smiled. "No," she agreed, "but I still think you're like that tree. The oak is one of the slowest growing trees in the world, but it's also one of the hardiest. It survives things other trees would die from. Now you, Jon, are a Christian. The oak grows slowly, and you may grow slowly in Christ, but like that oak, you do grow steadily. And you survive worse things than war or floods. You survive attacks from Satan."

 

Jon thought about some trouble he had gotten into the week before. "But I keep doing wrong things," he confessed solemnly.

 

"I know." Mother nodded. "Satan sometimes succeeds in getting you to do wrong, but the fact that you feel bad when you sin -- and especially that you don't want to repeat it -- shows that you're continuing to grow."

 

"Really?" Jon smiled. "That's pretty neat," he said.

 

"God doesn't give up on you, Son," Mother told him, "so you shouldn't give up, either -- even when the 'growing' gets tough!"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you ever feel that you're just no good -- that Satan's attacks are too much for you? With God's help you can send away the Devil by resisting him. If you do give in to him and do something wrong, confess your sins. If you're truly sorry, God will forgive you and help you overcome them as you trust Him.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (James 4:7)
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

[Soldier4Christ]

Abby looked up from her Sunday school book. "It seems to me that the Bible is full of rules," she observed. "Doesn't God want us to have any fun?"

 

"We can have lots of fun and still stay within the framework of God's rules," said Dad. He put his newspaper on the sofa and took off his glasses. "It may not always seem like it, but God's rules actually help you enjoy life."

 

Abby closed her book and looked out the window. "It's a windy day,Dad," she said, changing the subject. "Could we go try the new kite I got for my birthday?"

 

"Good idea," agreed Dad. "Let's go to the park and see if it will fly."

 

Abby ran to get the kite from her closet. Then she and Dad walked down the street to the neighborhood park where many kites dotted the sky with their bright colors.

 

Dad helped Abby get the kite aloft. Then he put the string entirely into her hands. Abby held it tightly. She laughed as she felt the wind lift and move the kite. "My kite pulls and tugs at the string as if it were alive," she called to Dad.

 

Dad nodded. "Wouldn't it be fun to let it soar with the wind and not hold it back?" he asked. "Wouldn't the kite look beautiful? It would go much higher without the string. Why don't you let it go?"

 

Abby stared at her father. "But, Dad,if I do, my kite might be lost," she protested, "or it might crash and get torn. I don't want that to happen. I like my kite!" She held the string even more tightly.

 

"I like my kite," Abby repeated on the way home. "I can't believe you wanted me to let it go, Dad."

 

Dad grinned. "The string is important, right?" he asked. Abby nodded. "God's rules are something like that string, Abby," said Dad. "God gave rules to us to keep us safe and to allow us to enjoy life in His care. When you feel like you'd rather be free of His rules, remember the string on your kite."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you realize that following God's rules keeps you from trouble? When you obey them, it doesn't keep you from having fun. Instead, it protects you.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Proverbs 2:7)
He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Wasted Energy

"Hurry, Mom," Sam urged. He was eager to get to his Little League game. "Can't you drive any faster?" Mom shook her head.

Moments later, Sam's heart sank as Mom slowed down. "Whoa!" she said. "There's road construction ahead, and traffic's backed up."

"Can't you drive on the shoulder to get off and take another road?" asked Sam, sounding desperate. He could see a long line of cars ahead.

"Sam, you're going to have to be patient," said Mom as the traffic stopped. "We can't do anything but sit here and wait."

"I don't believe this," Sam muttered. "You should have taken a different road." Mom frowned and turned off the engine without answering. "Can't you do something?" pleaded Sam.

"Why don't you do something, Sam?" answered Mom. "Why don't you ask Jesus to help with your problem?"

Sam decided that might be a good idea. Dear Jesus, he prayed silently, please get this traffic started so I can get to my game. But the traffic didn't move, and after a while, people got out and stood by their cars. "It didn't do any good to pray. We're stuck here." Sam's voice broke.

"Maybe you prayed the wrong prayer," suggested Mom. "Maybe the most important thing isn't getting to your game on time." Sam looked puzzled. "Maybe the Lord knows you need to work on patience and consideration of others," Mom added gently. "You're getting more upset by the minute, and you have been rather rude." Sam fidgeted and looked down. "Do you know why I turned the engine off when I saw we were going to be delayed?" asked Mom.

"Sure," answered Sam quickly. "So you don't waste gas."

"Right." Mom nodded. "I don't want to waste energy. But you're wasting a lot of energy by getting all upset about something we can't do anything about."

Sam was quiet. Then he said, "Sorry, Mom. I'll try to be more patient." A minute later, he added, "Hey! Maybe if I develop patience in the next few minutes, God will let the traffic open up so I can get to my game." He saw Mom's frown, and he grinned. "Just joking, Mom," he said. "Just joking."


HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you become upset when things don't go the way you planned? Do you get angry at people for things that aren't their fault? God wants you to develop patience. Decide right now that, with His help, you'll treat others kindly even when you don't like what's happening. Decide that, with His help, you won't even get upset so easily. Patience is a wonderful virtue that belongs in the life of every Christian.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE:
Be patient with all. 1 Thessalonians 5:14

[Soldier4Christ]

Sara yawned as she came into the kitchen. Her brother Matt glanced at her mischievously, then looked out the window. "Snow on the ground!" he exclaimed. "How can that be at this time of the year?"

 

"Huh?" grunted Sara. She ran to the window to see.

 

"April fool!" Matt chuckled in delight. "Got ya!"

 

"Oh-h-h-h-h," groaned Sara, but she grinned at her brother as they sat down to eat.

 

That evening, Sara and Matt talked about April Fool jokes that had been played at school. Dad smiled. "I hope nobody carried the jokes too far," he said.

 

"No one did," Sara assured him, "and we do that stuff only one day a year." She paused, then added, "Most of us anyway. But then there's Donna. She fools people every day -- especially grownups. They think she's such a great Christian. She always plays up to them, especially to our Sunday school and Kids' Club teachers."

 

"And to Pastor Smith," added Matt.

 

Sara nodded. "But you should see the way she acts at school," she said. "None of the kids like her, because she's so sneaky. When someone loses money or a pencil or something, nine times out of ten Donna shows up with it later. Of course, she always has a wonderful explanation of where she got it."

 

"Yeah," agreed Matt, "and today she was all smiles and sweetness to Mrs. Potter. Then when Mrs. Potter's back was turned, Donna stuck out her tongue at her."

 

"She's always doing stuff like that," said Sara.

 

"Careful now," cautioned Dad. "Are you sure you're not exaggerating? I've always thought Donna seemed to be a very nice girl." Mother nodded her agreement.

 

"See what I mean?" grumbled Sara. "She's even got you two fooled."

 

"Well, even if what you say is true, she hasn't fooled everyone," said Dad. "There's one who can never be fooled -- not on April Fool's day nor any other day of the year. God knows exactly what's in her heart -- and in each of our hearts. Let's pray for Donna instead of talking about her."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you fooling someone into thinking you're a Christian although you've never accepted Jesus as Savior? You may fool your parents, pastor, teachers, classmates -- or yourself -- but you can never fool God. If you haven't truly trusted Jesus, do so today.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (2 Timothy 2:19)
The Lord knoweth them that are His.

[Soldier4Christ]

"I didn't mean to hurt your stupid bike, Kyle! You don't have to get so mad!" Justin was defending himself as his younger brother stood looking at the scratches on the frame of his bicycle.

 

"Look, Dad! Justin was trying to do wheelies. I told him not to, but he did anyway, and he messed up my bike!" exclaimed Kyle as Dad came out the front door of the house.

 

"Well, I couldn't help it -- I didn't fall on purpose," said Justin quickly. "Besides, look what happened to my shirt when I fell. It's got grass stains on it!"

 

"Well, Kyle," said Dad, looking at the bike, "I think we can touch up this paint so it will hardly show. I'll help you with it, okay?" Kyle looked relieved as he nodded. Then Dad turned to Justin. "Do you want some white paint to put over those stains on your shirt?"

 

"Paint!" exclaimed Justin. "That won't work. These stains will have to be washed out -- not covered up."

 

"I agree," said Dad, "but do you know that the wrong things you do shouldn't be covered up, either? You were careless with Kyle's bike, and it got damaged. Then, instead of accepting the responsibility and apologizing, you made excuses. You even made yourself a victim by complaining about your shirt. You were trying to paint over,  or  whitewash, what you did."

 

"Well, I . . . I guess I should have been more careful," admitted Justin.

 

Dad nodded. "The Bible says that when we do wrong -- when we sin -- we need to confess it to God and ask Him to forgive us, and we also need to confess our sins to each other and ask for forgiveness. When we do that, the sin is washed away -- kind of like Mom will wash away this stain on your shirt." Dad smiled as he added, "It's a lot better to be washed white than to be whitewashed."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
When you've done wrong, do you take responsibility for what you've done? Do you ask God and others to forgive you? That's far better than making excuses or blaming someone else. God will forgive you -- and usually others will, too.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Psalm 51:7)
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

[Soldier4Christ]

Allison and Jill walked up the wooded hill behind Allison's house. Since everyone in their science class had to identify twenty-five different wild flowers, the girls had decided to go on a hike and see how many they could find. "Hey, Jill, how about coming to Sunday school with me next week?" asked Allison. "You don't go anywhere else, do you?"

 

Jill shook her head. "My parents believe you can get just as close to God by walking in the woods as you can by sitting in some old building and reading a boring, out-of-date book," she said, "and I think they're right."

 

"Well . . . we can learn a lot about God through creation," admitted Allison, "but we need to know what God says in His Word, too -- it's not outdated."

 

"My dad says it's better our way," insisted Jill. She pointed. "Look over there! That field is practically covered with flowers!"

 

"Wow!" exclaimed Allison. "Let's see if we can find those in the wild flower book that we brought from school."

 

"I didn't bring the book," said Jill. "I thought you brought it." She groaned as Allison shook her head.

 

"Oh, well," said Allison after a moment, "I guess that's an awfully old book anyway, isn't it? It was probably written before we were even born. Looking at the flowers will do us a lot more good than the stuff we'd read in such an out-of-date book."

 

"Wildflowers don't change!" protested Jill. "That book is still good!"

 

"So is the Bible," Allison said softly. "God doesn't change, either, and the Bible is as important today as it was when it was first written. We need to learn about flowers from the guide book, and we need to learn about God though His Word. Even though we appreciate God's creation and learn things from it, we still need the Bible. It's the book that teaches us about Him."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you think you can learn more about God by looking at His creation than by studying His Word? Do you use that as an excuse to skip church and go fishing or hiking? Appreciate God's creation, but even more, learn what He says in His Word.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Isaiah 40:
The word of our God shall stand forever.

[Soldier4Christ]

Mark and his dad chose a spot out in the middle of the back yard to set up the rain gauge. Mark was proud of the hollow tube and its funnel-like top. "This is the best school project I've ever made," he said. "I hope it rains soon!" He turned toward the house when he heard his mother call his name.

 

"Mark," she called, "Mr. Blake is afraid his garbage cans might roll out into the street if they stay in his driveway.  His arthritis is acting up, and it's hard for him </span>to walk. Would you go bring in his trash cans?" When Mark groaned, she added, "This is a chance to serve."

 

"Right," said Mark sarcastically. "It's really nothing but a dumb little chore." But he went to take care of it.

 

When Mark returned, Mom was taking a batch of brownies from the oven. "You can run some of these over to Mr. Blake," she said. "They'll boost his spirits."

 

"Just call me the delivery boy," Mark mumbled.

 

"You're serving," Mom told him.

 

"Aw, c'mon," protested Mark. "The things I've been doing are just little errands." He paused. "It would be neat to do something big!" he added as he left with the brownies.

 

Later that day, Mark went to check his rain gauge. He was back in a moment. "It's raining!" he exclaimed. "My gauge will measure the rainfall! Come see!"

 

Mom and Dad joined Mark in the back yard. "This is just a little sprinkle," Dad said. "It will take a lot more rain than this to really measure water in your gauge."

 

"Every drop counts!" Mark insisted. "All the drops will be added together, and the water will build up. You'll see."

 

Mom nodded. "You're right, Son," she agreed, "and do you know what? In the same way every one of your deeds -- no matter how small or insignificant it seems -- will be part of a testimony that continues to grow. Every little thing you do counts, Mark. For example, the more little things you do for Mr. Blake, the more they'll join together to show him a big picture of God's love."




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you feel that the small things you do don't amount to much? Remember thateverything you do is part of your testimony. God can use each kind deed, no matter how small it seems to you.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Mark 10:45)
The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.

[Soldier4Christ]

"My train is broken!" wailed Nathan.

 

"Oh, Nate, don't cry," comforted Sheana, giving him a hug. "Maybe Grandpa can fix it."

 

They took the train to Grandpa, who assured them that he could make it good as new. "Honest? Wow!" exclaimed Nathan. Grandpa took the train to his workshop, and Nathan hopped onto the table to watch. "Don't do that!" protested Nathan as Grandpa started bending a wheel. "You'll break it for good."

 

"Don't be silly, Nate!" scolded Sheana. "Grandpa's fixing your train, not breaking it. And he can't work properly when you get in his way."

 

Nathan pouted, but he wandered out into the yard. Soon he was back. "You're not doing it right," he informed Grandpa after watching for a few minutes. "That piece has to be fastened to the engine like this." He reached for the train.

 

"Nathan!" cried Sheana. "Stop trying to tell Grandpa what to do! Why don't you go play until Grandpa's done."

 

"That's a good idea," said Grandpa. "This is going to take some time, Nate."

 

"But I want my train now," complained Nathan. He suddenly grabbed the train and scooted out the door.

 

"Silly kid!" exclaimed Sheana scornfully. "He gave you his train to fix and then took it back without letting you fix it."

 

"We all do things like that sometimes," said Grandpa tolerantly.

 

Sheana shook her head firmly. "Not me!" she said.

 

Grandpa smiled. "You told me you prayed about a problem you had at school and that you gave it to God, right?"

 

Sheana looked puzzled. "Yes . . . so?"

 

"But you were worrying about it again just this morning, Sheana," Grandpa reminded her, "so did you leave it with God, or did you take it back?"

 

"I . . . I guess I took it back," admitted Sheana. "I guess I'm as silly as Nathan!"




HOW ABOUT YOU?
Do you bring your problems, worries, and needs to God in prayer? Having done that, do you start worrying all over again? Once you have given something to God, don't try to take it back. Handle the situation the way you believe He wants you to -- without worrying. Trust Him to work things out.


TODAY'S KEY VERSE: (Psalm 37:7)
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him.